Never
by darktwilight418
Summary: what happens when Bones makes the decision to get married, but to someone else and Booth falls apart. Does she come to his aid like he has always done for her?
1. Losing Himself

**I thought of this early this morning…I had to write it down. Hopefully ya'll like it. Let me know what you think.**

**Everyone is still there…Zack hasn't left, but Dr. Goodman is still gone.**

**I do not own Bones…as always.**

**Booth's Point of View**

He never thought that this day would actually come. He knew that it was inevitable, but never actually thought that it would happen.

The woman who had become such an important fixture in his life was getting married today. To another guy.

_When did that happen?_

Ever since they had gotten paired up five years ago, he had been dealing with his growing feelings for his partner. He knew that he needed to stop, but he couldn't help it. Before he realized it, he had fallen in love with her.

He knew that he couldn't act on his feelings; she didn't feel the same way. He had done everything that he could to keep her in the dark in regards to his feelings.

But everything started to go haywire when she started dating that doctor.

Dr. Brandon Hayden.

At first it was an occasional date or two during the week. Then it became something that happened three or four times a day. Slowly, the time they spent outside of work dwindled down to nothing.

He only saw her if they had a case, and even then she wouldn't talk to him at all. He began to wonder if things were going to fast for her and that doctor. Then one day it happened.

*_Flashback_*

When he walked into the Jeffersonian that day, he could see that something major was going on. Cam, Zack and Hodgins weren't working on the platform as usual. They were standing near Cam's office talking in hushed voices.

He began to wonder if something had happened to Angela or Bones, but a quick glance to Bones' office told him that they were just talking. It looked like a heated discussion too, so he decided to go see what was up with Cam and the others.

"Cam, what's going on with Angela and Bones?"

She looked at him with this look of sympathy, so obviously she knew what they were talking about. But she started shaking her head before she could ask what the look was for.

"You need to talk to Dr. Brennan. That's all I can say."

When he glanced over at Hodgins he wouldn't make eye contact with him. Suddenly a crack on the floor was more interesting. Looking at Zack he saw the same thing, except he was staring at the forensic platform in a wanting sort of way.

He decided to chance it, and walked over to Bones' office door. He knew that interrupting them during a fight could be detrimental to his health, but he needed Bones to go to a crime scene.

"Bren, you can't be serious!" He heard through the closed door.

"Angela, it's done. Is there anything else?"

Before he could knock the door flew open, and Angela sprinted out. He watched as Hodgins met her at her office, and was surprised when the door slammed shut.

"Booth? What do you want?"

"We have a case."

"I can't go. You need to take Zack with you today."

I was **shocked**! When did she turn down a case? Especially when they had to go out into the field. She loved field work!

"Why?"

"I have some place to be in about an hour, and I know that I will not be back in time."

She wasn't making eye contact with him. In fact, she wasn't even looking in his direction. She kept staring at her bookshelves, which meant that she was hiding something from him. She knew that if she lied he would catch it, so she kept her eyes from his.

"Bones…what is going on?"

"Nothing Booth. But I can't go with you today."

"Look at me. Tell me why you can't go."

When he saw her face, he knew instantly that something happened, but he couldn't tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing. He could see the happiness in her eyes, but also spotted the worry in her face.

"What happened Bones?"

"I went out with Brandon last night." I nodded for her to continue. "He asked me something. Something important."

I knew then what was going on. I didn't want her to continue; didn't want to hear anything else. I barely heard what she was saying when she finally spoke again.

"He…marry…I…yes."

I had to leave. I needed to get out of her office…far away from her. I stood up and grabbed the case file I had laid on her desk. I started walking out of her office, but stopped when I got to the doorway.

Turning back, "Congratulations, Dr. Brennan. You will be very happy."

*_End Flashback*_

The woman that he had come to love was getting married today, and there was nothing that he could or would do about it. He would not ruin her chance for happiness, even if her happiness caused him lifelong heartache.

It _was_ his own fault, he reasoned. He should have told her how he felt long ago. But he didn't, because he knew that something like that could have made her run. He wouldn't chance that…he didn't want her to leave.

It surprised him, though. He thought that he had kept his feelings for her hidden, but found out that that wasn't the case.

Angela came over to his apartment after Dr. Brennan's announcement and started questioning why I was letting her go through with this 'marriage thing.' She wanted to know why I was letting the 'woman I loved' get married to someone else.

I told her that I wasn't going to ruin her happiness. We had been working together for five years, and in that time she never gave me any indication that she wanted to pursue a relationship with me. In fact, most of the time she acted like she was pissed at me.

Today was the day.

He wanted to feel like nothing was different; like nothing was going to change, but he knew different.

He knew that once she said 'I do' that their partnership was going to be gone, and at first he was upset but he understood. He knew that no man would want their wife working as close as they did. He knew that even if she protested his wants, she would soon do what he asked.

At least this weekend he didn't have Parker. Rebecca had taken him to visit her sister in Washington, and she had called to tell him that she might have found a better job there. She knew what was going on between him and Dr. Brennan and she was sympathetic towards him.

They had been discussing the fact that Rebecca wanted to get out of DC since her and Drew broke up, and this job in Washington might be a blessing in disguise. He told her that if she decided to move, then he would follow her wherever she went.

He was thinking about moving when he heard a knock at his door. Having no idea who it could be he went and opened it without looking through the peephole.

"Hodgins. Angela. What the hell are you two doing here? Isn't the wedding today?"

Pushing her way past him, she turned around saying "We wanted to see if you changed your mind."

"No, Angela. I am not going. You know why."

"Man" Hodgins said "you need to go."

"I will not go see her get married to another guy. No matter what you say, I am not going today."

He saw them exchange a look before nodding their heads. He knew that Angela had figured out why he didn't want to go, and in turn Hodgins knew because she couldn't keep a secret from him.

"Seeley" she said his given name "please take care of yourself today. I know that you are hurting, but I don't want to see you get hurt. I never thought that she would do this either, but she is."

He nodded his head, "I'm okay. I really am. Rebecca called earlier and told me that she might have found a new job."

"Isn't she in Washington this weekend Booth?" Hodgins asked in a shocked voice.

Angela looked shocked, "You can't be serious Booth."

"She wants to move, and I told her that I would go with her. There is nothing left for her here, since she broke up with Drew. There is nothing left for me here either. It is just better if we both move someplace new."

"Booth…"

"No, Angela. It is already done. If she decides to move I am going to put in my transfer papers. I am not going to let her move across the country, with my son, without me."

Neither one of them could talk, so he continued. "You two are the only ones that know, other than Cullen, and that is the way it is going to stay. No one else **needs** to know about this."

"Booth…"

"Again, no Angela. No one needs to know. I don't want pity from anyone. I don't want to hear the whispers in the lab. I am tired of hearing them at headquarters. Even though I don't know what they are saying, I know they are talking about me."

People had been talking ever since it got out that she was getting married. The one person, who spouted marriage as an archaic tradition, was getting married. And that isn't what surprised people the most; it was who she **wasn't** getting married to.

"Man" Hodgins broke into my thoughts "its fine. We understand. Just let us know before you make any decisions."

After promising to let them know what happens they finally left. He walked into his kitchen, grabbing a couple beers before heading to his couch. He settled down to watch a baseball game, hoping that he would make it through this day to the next.


	2. Figuring Out

**Here we go again…is it good??**

**I do not own Bones…so sad!!**

**Brennan's Point of View**

She told him, and he didn't care. He didn't care that she was getting married. He was the reason she was getting married. All of his speeches about marriage being good, and he didn't care.

She knew that he must have been surprised that day in her office, but what he said hadn't left her.

"_Congratulations, Dr. Brennan. You will be very happy."_

She still didn't know why he was upset with her. She didn't know what she had done to him, but since he was only working with Zack now she didn't have the chance to ask him.

According to Zack they had a good rapport when out in the field. Booth didn't yell at him out in the field anymore, and Zack wasn't talking to him like a walking dictionary.

She was actually seeing subtle differences in Zack too. He was becoming less introverted, which could have been a bad thing, but wasn't. He wasn't all scientific when he spoke out now.

The day had come, and she was sitting in her hotel room waiting for Angela to come over. She was supposed to help her get ready for this evening, but she hadn't shown up yet.

The door flew open, and in rushed Angela being closely followed by Cam and Daisy. They were all going to be in her wedding with Angela being her maid of honor and the other two being bridesmaids.

"Bren…haven't you taken a shower yet?" she shook her head as she was getting pushed into the bathroom. "Take a shower. Now."

After listening to Angela, she was sitting in a chair as she and Cam worked on her hair while Daisy was painting her fingernails. She didn't really like being center of attention, but she was dealing with it today.

She picked at her bathrobe while asking "Angela…Cam…is he coming today?"

When she saw the look they shared, she knew that her best friend wasn't going to show up. She still couldn't understand why he was acting the way he was. She had gone over everything in her mind, but was still at a loss for what happened between the two of them.

"Sorry sweetie."

As they helped her get into her dress and her shoes, she began to wonder if she was doing the right thing by marrying Brandon.

She knew that he loved her, but something in her gut was telling her that this was a bad idea. She had never been one to have a 'gut feeling' before, but in the past few months she had been having more and more of them.

After they were done helping her, Cam and Daisy left to finish getting ready themselves. Happy that she was left alone with Angela, she was trying to figure out the best way to talk to her. But before she could say anything Angela started speaking first.

"Are you sure this is what you want Bren?"

She knew that she should have been more put off by that question but she wasn't.

"I don't know." Angela sat down on the bed.

"What don't you know sweetie? Don't you love Brandon?" 

"Yes, of course I love him…I think."

"What? Bren, don't you know if you love him or not? If you didn't then you wouldn't be marrying him today."

"I do love him. But…"

"Do you want to marry him?"

"I thought I did, but now I am confused. What happened to me? I never wanted to get married. I didn't want that sort of life. Didn't want the house with the fence or the kids or the minivan. I want to be able to make my own choices and be able to leave on a dig without having to check with someone first."

"Okay, but what makes you thinks that Brandon isn't going to let you make your own choices? Or let you go on a dig?"

"That's what I mean. No other person has dictated to me before. I don't need a man to 'let' me do something. I don't want a man to tell me what I can and can't do."

Angela thought on that for a couple minutes, but before she could answer Bren's questions Cam and Daisy were back at the door telling her that it was almost time. She asked them to let her alone for a couple minutes, so she could collect herself.

Standing there, looking out the window, she started thinking back over the past five years. Different scenes kept popping up in her mind…

_Getting partnered up with Booth…_

_Getting kidnapped by the Gravedigger with Hodgins…_

_Howard Epps…_

_Going undercover in Las Vegas…_

_Beating up that gang leader in the Hoover building…_

_Getting abducted by that rogue FBI agent…_

_Booth being 'dead' for two weeks…_

_Booth saving her from Epps…_

_Booth pulling her out of the buried car…_

_Booth coming to save her from the FBI agent…_

_Having dinner with Booth at the diner…_

_Booth brining a Christmas tree to the jail for her dad and brother…_

_Booth giving her Jasper…_

_Telling Booth what happened to her when she was in foster care…_

_Booth giving her brainy smurf…_

Why didn't she see this before?

She couldn't do this. She needed to get away. She needed to go find him.

She looked up and down the hall before she slipped out of her room. Not wanting to wait for the elevator she took the stairs down to the lobby of the hotel. She heard the concierge calling for her, but she ran outside and caught a cab before anyone could stop her.


	3. Rescuing Him

**Hopefully it will only be one or two more chapters…I think that is all I am going to write for this story. I hope this is interesting for others as it is for me.**

**I don't own Bones…still very sad.**

**Booth's Point of View**

He was still in front of his couch, trying to concentrate on the baseball game but his mind kept going to Bones and her impending marriage. He knew that he should be happy for her, but he wasn't.

He was happy that she had grown as a person. Six years ago she never would have agreed to marry anyone. She had become an extraordinary woman, not that she wasn't before.

She wasn't the cold, uncaring person that she had once been. She didn't make others feel as though they were less than her because of her IQ. She had become a much more compassionate person, often putting others feelings before hers.

He was proud of the progress that she had made, and attributed some of that to him and their partnership. He knew that she challenged him and in turn he challenged her.

Less and less he heard the phrase "I don't know what that means." She was slowly being acclimated to the pop culture that ruled the airwaves.

She was helping him to look deeper into the crime scenes, wanting him to see the remains how she saw them. With her help, he was actually starting to understand what the squints talked about when they were standing over remains in the lab.

Looking around, he realized that he had drunk through all of his beer. He hauled himself up off the couch and moved to his locked liquor cabinet. Usually it was kept locked and not used that often, but he always kept it stocked.

Pulling out some bottles he didn't even bother grabbing a glass. He knew that he didn't need one. He wasn't going to stop himself. He wanted to drink…needed to drink until he passed out.

He didn't want to think about what was going on across town. He didn't want to think about Bones marrying that guy. He didn't want to think about all of their friends standing next to her as she made her choice.

He knew that there would be no other woman for him and he was okay with that. He was okay with just dating, even though it wouldn't go any further than that.

He unscrewed the top off one of the bottles and tipped it up to his mouth. He grimaced as the whiskey burned going down his throat. He didn't care, though. He welcomed the pain…wanted the pain…needed the pain.

After going through the whiskey, he moved on to a bottle of vodka. Normally he didn't keep the crap in his apartment, but it was something that Bones' drank so it was there. She only drank it after a really hard case, when she needed to forget.

He knew he was drunk, knew he should stop, but he couldn't. He needed to make himself forget. He wanted to be far away, and he was almost there…almost gone.

**Brennan's Point of view**

When she climbed into the cab she received a strange look from the driver. She didn't know why he was looking at her like that, until she realized she was still wearing her wedding dress. The one that Angela helped her pick out.

It was an ivory ball gown sort of looking thing. It had bows on the back of it, and had a long train. She was even wearing a veil. She didn't really like it, but since Angela liked it on her she agreed to it.

Thinking back to all the preparations she realized that she had agreed to everything to do with her wedding. Nothing was hers. The dress. The invitations. The flowers. The cake. The venue. The food. The honeymoon.

Everything had been chosen by Brandon or Angela, not her. Nothing had her touch. Nothing was what she liked.

_How did she let this get out of control? _

She never wanted to get married, but over the years her thoughts on marriage had changed. Actually, many of her opinions had changed and that was all due to her partnership with Booth.

She never realized how much of an influence he had on her life. Never realized how much she would miss him if and when he wasn't in her life anymore.

Brandon hadn't told her straight out that she needed to stop spending time with Booth, but over the past few months it had happened. He had been demanding more and more of her time, meaning that she spent less time working and less time with Booth.

He had always been there for her; through everything he had stood right next to her. He had taken care of her, and saved her more than once.

Over the years he had grown from a partner to a friend and then to her best and closest friend. She had come to depend on him. He helped her understand things that she didn't know, most of the time they were things that Angela said to pick at her.

Staring out the window during the ride, she even acknowledged the fact that she felt things for him that she shouldn't. They had agreed not to overstep the line. They agreed their partnership was more important.

But she couldn't help it…she had fallen in love with him.

Over the years, through every thing they had been through she had slowly fallen for him. She kept trying to deny how she felt, but in the end acknowledged it. She knew that Angela figured it out long before she did, but Angela let her deal with it in her own time.

Before she knew it she was standing in front of his apartment door, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Before she could change her mind she knocked on his door, and waited.

When he didn't come she knocked again.

Getting worried, she reached into her purse and pulled out her keys. Using the spare key he had given her she unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"Booth. Are you here?"

She called out as she walked into the apartment. When she walked into his living room, she was shocked by what she saw. Booth was laid out on his couch, surrounded by empty cans and bottles.

Instantly she knew that she had caused him to do this. She knew that he never over drank. He wouldn't because of his dad. He never wanted to become his father.

She started picking up the cans and bottles, not wanting him to wake up and see how much he drank. She knew he wouldn't forgive himself for drinking that much.

When his living room was clean, she went and knelt down in front of him. She started running her hands over his unshaven face, realizing it must have been days since he last shaved.

She looked down his torso and saw that he had been losing weight. Running her fingers down his chest she realized that he was no longer was he fit and muscular. She could see that he was getting too thin.

"Booth…please, wake up." She touched his face and spoke softly. "Please. I need for you to wake up for me. Come on, Booth. I know that you are in there."


	4. Angela's Part

**Maybe more than a couple more chapters. This one is going to be short though.**

**I do not own Bones…remember that.**

**Angela's Point of View**

She hadn't been happy when Bren told her that she was going to marry Brandon. She knew that they didn't belong together.

He was too demanding, but Bren never saw him like that. She didn't see it when he started pushing her to spend more time with him and less time at work. She didn't seem to notice that she didn't hang out with Booth as much even more.

Angela was happy when Booth stopped working with her, and instead began taking Zack to the crime scenes. She thought that in doing that Bren would come to her senses and realizes that Brandon was starting to control every aspect of her life.

Personally, Angela wanted Bren and Booth to realize that they loved each other. She knew that they did, but also knew that neither would acknowledge it because they didn't want to ruin their partnership.

She saw the way they interacted with each other.

When they were at crime scenes she knew that Booth was Brennan's mouth piece. He was the one to call out her instructions. He also positioned himself in a protective stance, but never in a way that interfered with her work.

When they were at the lab and she was looking over some remains, he was there in the background on the platform too. He was always watching her to make sure she was okay.

Angela even noticed that out of work they seemed to gravitate towards each other. When one would move the other would sift their body to accommodate the other.

She knew that it was an unconscious thing, but wished that they would realize that they needed each other.

After her, Cam and Daisy left Brennan so they could get ready for her wedding a feeling crept into her stomach. Looking over at Cam, who was putting makeup on, she realized that Cam must have had the same feeling.

They both made their way down the hall to Bren's room and started knocking. When she didn't come to the door, Angela pulled out her key and opened the door.

They called out for her but they both knew that she wasn't going to be there. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do next.

Angela smiled, "She finally figured it out."

"Yes, Dr. Brennan finally realized who she was meant to be with. Now hopefully he will come to that same conclusion too."

Neither knew what they were going to tell the roomful of people downstairs, but they figured it could wait a while long.

They looked at each other and broke out into twin smiles at the same time.

"Meet you at the diner tomorrow morning?"

Angela nodded, saying "Yep. You know that's where they are going to be. I'll let the guys know."

Nodding her answer, Cam turned and left the room.

Angela sat down on the bed, shooting up thanks to whoever was listening up above. Thanking them for giving Brennan the brains to figure out that this wasn't the wedding that she needed to be apart of.

Hopefully, neither of them would run again.


	5. Hurting Together

**Next chapter…don't know if this is going to be the last one or not. I guess I will just have to see how it goes.**

**As always…I do not own Bones.**

**Booth's Point of View**

Passing out was the only thing he was good at these days. Half the time he woke up on his couch, surrounded by bottles or cans…whatever he had picked up on the way home from work.

He never used to drink to excess; he didn't want to turn into his father. But now, it was like he could not control himself once he got home. He **needed** to drink, because he **needed** to forget.

To forget…everything.

Her. Their work together. Their successes and their failures.

He wanted to forget everything, but knew that he would never be able to get her out of his mind or his heart. She had stolen her way into it before he could do anything to stop it.

Into his heart and into his mind.

"_Booth…please, wake up." _

He thought he heard Bones talking to him, but he that was impossible. She was supposed to be off getting married. She **should** be married to him by now.

She didn't care anymore. Didn't care that he had torn up their partnership. Didn't care about the fact that Parker was missing her more and more each time he came for a visit.

It didn't matter to her that he was taking Zack out in the field now instead of her. She didn't even notice that he had stopped talking to her altogether.

"_Please. I need for you to wake up for me. Come on, Booth. I know that you are in there."_

He was so happy that he was dreaming of her again. It was like he could actually feel her fingers on his face. He was hearing her voice, again. It was so sweet and so real.

So real…

He thought that he had heard her voice; felt her presence in his apartment, but when he opened his eyes she wasn't there. His mind was starting to play tricks on him again. He knew that she wouldn't be there, but it was so real.

He couldn't move. He didn't want to, because if he did then that would bring him back to reality. His reality. The one where Bones didn't exist.

Lying there, his mind went back to the early days of their partnership. Back when she still talked to him like an idiot and he thought of her as a know-it-all scientist who knew nothing about real life.

He thought about how she took down the gang leader, in FBI headquarters, when he touched her. And how she paid for two funerals of people that she didn't even know.

He thought back to when her father was on trial for murder. She had turned the tables on the prosecutor. She used herself to get her father off; made herself out to be the boogieman.

He ended up going back to sleep, but not before her scent hit him. He could have sworn he felt the touch of butterfly wings on his forehead, but pushed that thought aside. He smiled as everything around him began to get fuzzy again.

**Brennan's Point of View**

She wanted him to wake up.

She needed him to wake up.

She needed to tell him what happened, and what didn't happen.

He needed to know that her life wasn't with Brandon, but with him.

She had to make him understand that she had made a mistake saying yes to Brandon.

It was a mistake cutting Booth out of her life altogether.

Letting him take Zack out into the field with him.

Not eating dinner with him anymore.

Not having a beer together after solving the tough cases.

Not going to the park with Parker anymore.

Not having him standing behind her on the forensic platform.

He had to wake up so she could tell him about all the mistakes she had made. All the things she had let go of, willingly at first but unwillingly now.

She had to tell him the one thing that she hadn't told him before. She needed to tell him that she loved him with everything she had in her.

Every breath she took was for him; because of him. She was alive, really alive because of him.

He had brought her out of her shell. He had awakened her spirit and brought it to life, making her whole again.

She knew that what he was going through now was her doing. The pain he was feeling was because she hadn't been honest with him about her feelings for him or for Brandon.

Angela didn't tell her that it had gotten this bad, neither had Cam or Hodgins. None of them had told her that he was drinking himself to sleep every night. They didn't tell her that he wasn't eating either.

They didn't tell her that he was slowly drawing into himself, making it impossible for him to be happy. They had failed to mention to her that he hadn't smiled, laughed, anything in months.

She knew why they didn't say anything, and it had to do with the guy passed out in the living room. He didn't want her to know what her impending marriage was doing to him. He didn't want her to feel guilty because of it.

She knew that they were protecting him and honoring his wishes, but she wished that they had told her sooner. She wished that they had let on to how bad his problems were, but instantly knew that they wouldn't have.

A sound startled her while she was lost in her thoughts and she hurried into the living room. She looked around not knowing what to expect, but didn't find anything out of order.

When she tiptoed over to the couch she saw that Booth was still asleep. Staring at him, she made a promise to herself to be there for him whether or not he wanted her there.

She gently leaned down and lightly kissed is forehead while brushing her hands over his cheek. She relaxed a little bit when she briefly saw a smile flash over his face before he was washed away in another dream.


	6. Waking Up

**Sorry for the delay in getting this next chapter up. I don't know if this is going to be the last one or not, but if it isn't I will try to get the last one or two up in a timely manner.**

**Again, I do not own Bones or any characters. ****J**

**Booth's Point of View**

Without moving his head, he knew he had a killer headache. He needed to make it to the bathroom to get some aspirin…hopefully without puking all over the place. He didn't want to clean on top of feeling bad.

Moving as little as possible, he started scooting over his bed.

_Thump!!_

………

_DAMN IT!! WHAT THE HELL??!!!_

But quickly ended up on the floor, cussing loudly…on his butt…in his living room. Why was he in his living room? He should have been in his bedroom…but then again, he had been falling asleep in there more and more recently.

When he opened his eyes they were level with his coffee table, and he saw three aspirin and a bottle of water sitting in front of him. He didn't remember putting them there last night, but then again he didn't remember much from last night either.

It had been that way every morning since finding out Bones was getting married. He woke up; surround by whatever he had drunk the night before, took his shower and went to work. He did his job and when he was done he would pick up something to drink then head home, and not remember anything the next morning.

He just didn't give a damn anymore. He didn't care about anything, because nothing mattered anymore.

Yes, he spent _some_ time with Parker, but Rebecca must have noticed how Brennan's marriage was affecting him. She had offered him more time, but he just couldn't do it. She could see that he wanted to spend time with his son, but emotionally he just couldn't do it.

She had even offered to leave Parker with him this weekend while she was in Washington interviewing for a job. She knew he would usually jump at that, but he had turned it down, knowing he wouldn't be much of a father this weekend.

Cullen had even noticed that his job performance was dropping. He had offered Booth vacation time and even a leave of absence; he had heard about Brennan's marriage too. But he had been shocked when he had been informed that a transfer might be the only thing that would help.

Maybe the best thing would be to leave D.C. Maybe getting transferred to Seattle would help him. He would be far enough away from her…no chance they would run into one another at the corner grocery store. He would also be able to spend time with Parker.

No…he would never get over her. He would just have to learn how to deal with it. Deal with the fact that she was no longer in his life.

But, could he do it? Could he actually do his job without her in it? He had done it since Zack started going out in the field with him, but could he really stop working with the Jeffersonian?

Taking a deep breathe, he reached out and grabbed the pills and popped them into his mouth as he took a swallow of water. He drank the rest of the water, needing to get the cotton feeling out of his mouth. He looked around, wondering how big the mess was going to be today and was shocked.

The room was empty. No empty bottles. No empty cans.

_What the hell was going on? _

He might not remember last night, but he knew for damn sure that he drunk himself to sleep…again.

_Thump…_

Someone was here in his apartment. How had someone gotten in here without him knowing it? Why would anyone be here? No one came over anymore, except for Parker and he was gone this weekend. Angela, maybe?

_Creak…_

Why the hell would they be in the kitchen? He listened for a second…it sounded like whoever was in his apartment was making coffee. Who the hell would be making coffee?

Slowly, but surely getting to his feet he started towards his kitchen. He needed to find out who the hell had gotten past him. Normally he didn't really 'sleep' like a normal person; it was his Ranger training…he needed to be ready to go at a moments notice.

Stopping to glance at his front door he noticed it was locked. It didn't look like the person had broken it. Who ever it was must have known where he kept his spare key, but of small number of people it could have been he couldn't figure out which one of them would be making coffee.

When he reached his kitchen, he slowly looked around the corner and was floored by who he saw standing there.

**Brennan's Point of View**

She hadn't gotten any sleep. Well, couldn't go to sleep was more like it. Every time she was about to doze off she heard him talking in his sleep, and would go to check on him…she needed to make sure he was okay.

She had gotten rid of that ridiculous dress after he had fallen asleep. She had opted for a pair of Booth's sweats and one of his FBI shirts. She had also absconded with a pair of his more colorful socks…they were decorated with dancing turkeys.

The last time she checked on him she left him some aspirin and water on the coffee table, knowing that he would need them whenever he woke up. He would have a killer headache, and at some point would probably want coffee too.

She had been sitting in the kitchen when she heard him roll off the couch, and she smiled when she heard him cuss. He normally refrained from speaking out of turn too much in front of her.

After a while she heard the pills being picked up and the water bottle opening, so she decided it was about time to get some coffee started. Walking around the kitchen quietly, she started getting things together.

_Thump…_

Crap. She had bumped into the wall when she was walking into the kitchen. She had let her mind wander and hadn't been paying attention to what she was doing.

_Creak…_

When had his cabinet doors started making noises? They never made noises before. Booth would always outsmart the doors and fix them before they could start talking to him.

She hoped when he woke up he would talk to her.

She needed him to listen to her.

She was so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard him get up. She didn't hear him walking around his apartment either. Even though he had sniper training, he normally made a little bit of noise in the morning.

How could she tell him that it wasn't Brandon that she wanted to marry? It wasn't Brandon that she loved. It wasn't Brandon that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. That she didn't want to have children with Brandon.

She had come to realize it was Booth whom she loved. She needed Booth in her life to make it worthwhile…to make it worth living. Without him in it, she was virtually nothing.

Yes, she knew that she did not need him in her life to survive, but she **needed** him in it to make life worth living. She needed him to push her further, to challenge her, to make her the person she normally wasn't.

She knew it was because of Booth that she was the person she was today. She knew that without him, she would still look at everything scientifically and not like a 'normal' person.

Brandon, she learned too late, had taken the 'little girl' in her and used it to his advantage. He had turned her from this self-assured woman into a woman who **needed** a man to survive.

He had gotten her to change her stance on everything, and she hadn't even noticed it. She had become one of those women who turned to their man before making any decision whatsoever.

She used to jump at going on a dig, but now she didn't. She had been asked to go to Ecuador to help examine a mass grave, but when she mentioned the offer to Brandon he had shot down the idea very quickly.

"_Why do you need to go? Do they __**want**__ you or do they __**need**__ you? You don't need to go there. You don't need to do that sort of thing."_

She had actually listened to him and turned them down. When did she turn down a dig without a good reason? She never did, unless absolutely necessary.

If she had talked it over with Booth he would have told her…

_Why do you need to go to Ecuador?_

_Can't you go someplace else?_

_Is this what you call a vacation?_

_If you go be safe_

_Take extra clothes_

_Some sunscreen_

_Books_

_Write me_

_Call me_

_When do you leave?_

_When are you coming back?_

She knew that Booth didn't like it when she went to these far off countries, out in the middle of nowhere. But she also knew that it wasn't because he didn't trust her or her instincts, but because he worried about her safety. He would always relent in the end, often telling her to call him if anything went wrong, and he would be there in an instant.

Why had it taken so long for her to realize that Booth was the one she needed and loved? Even Ange and Cam and even Hodgins knew it, but none of them had pushed it on her. Well, maybe Ange had, but not too much recently.

So lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize he was standing in the doorway…watching her move around his kitchen with ease. She knew where he kept everything, mostly because she had reorganized his kitchen one weekend when he was UC.

She laughed, thinking back to that Monday night when he called her.

"_Bones…where the hell are my dishes? And glasses?"_

"_They are in your kitchen Booth. Where else would they be?"_

"_I know __**where**__ they are…I just want to know what the hell you did to it."_

"_I organized it. Your way was too confusing."_

"_It was organized Bones…the way I wanted it."_

"_I can come fix it back if you want."_

"_No, bones…it's fine…just tell me when you are going to do something like that again."_

He had given in to her, again. He always did.

Again, she smiled at that memory, along with all the other ones that had been flowing through her mind while he slept. All the good memories, along with the bad ones had shaped her as a person and they had shaped them as partners.

She didn't want to lose that, but she was afraid that she already had. She knew that pushing Zack onto Booth might have been a bad idea to begin with, but realized that it helped both men out. It helped Zack become a better person and it put distance between her and Booth.

Well, maybe it didn't help Booth out after all. It was all for her, putting the two of them together. She didn't for one second think about how it would hurt him…she didn't care. She just needed to put distance between them.

But, even with the physical distance, it still felt like he was there…surrounding her, all the time. No matter where she was, in the lab or in her apartment, she felt him with her.

Like now…she felt him with her…

_Wait…what?_

She could feel him watching her, and suddenly she got scared. Would he yell at her? Would he throw her out of his apartment? Would he even acknowledge her?

She slowly turned to face him. The man who had crept into her dreams. The man who had been her best friend and partner. The man who had the ability to tear her world apart without speaking at all.


	7. Heartfelt Touches

**So…I am sorry it has taken so long for me to post up this chapter. I have just gotten lazy with it, and I am sorry. Hopefully I will be able to post more than one chapter today. **

**As always…I do not own Bones. Sad…yet again.**

**Booth's Point of View**

He was drawing on his sniper training, as he stood there watching Bones. She hadn't noticed him yet. He didn't know if it was due to the fact that she was so lost in her own thoughts or if he had been really quiet.

He didn't know what or who to expect when he looked into his kitchen, but he was very shocked when he saw her.

_Shouldn't she be gone? She should be on her honeymoon…with Brandon._

He didn't know what was going on, but at that moment he was happy to just watch the one he loved putter around his kitchen. It felt like she belonged in it…like it was made especially for her.

_Well, it should feel that way…_

He remembered back to when he came home and found his kitchen…demolished. That would have been the best way to put it. Totally and utterly demolished.

The dishes had been moved. The glasses had been moved. The silverware wasn't in the drawer they were supposed to be in. his junk drawer wasn't next to the fridge anymore.

The only thing she hadn't changed was his brand of beer…she had even moved the crap in his fridge around.

He smiled, remembering what had transpired when he called her, ready to bless her out for messing with his stuff.

"_Bones…where the hell are my dishes? And glasses?"_

He didn't mean for it to come out the way it had, and he was fully prepared for the tongue lashing he thought he was going to receive.

"_They are in your kitchen Booth. Where else would they be?"_

Why did she sound so calm when he just about yelled at her? He could hear the laughter in her voice, even though she tried to hide it.

"_I know __**where**__ they are…I just want to know what the hell you did to it."_

He had to breathe…he couldn't let the sleeplessness get a hold of him. He didn't need to bring anything else into this conversation.

"_I organized it. Your way was too confusing."_

What was she talking about? It wasn't as if she lived there…so why would she care where I have _my _stuff in my own house.

"_It was organized Bones…the way I wanted it."_

I hope she doesn't think that everything in my life is disorganized. I have everything just the way I want it. I don't need for her to start nosing around, trying to fix everything.

"_I can come fix it back if you want."_

Yeah…she probably could come back and put everything exactly where it was to begin with. She had that gift…even if he didn't.

"_No, bones…it's fine…just tell me when you are going to do something like that again."_

He knew that she was smiling when he said that. She knew she had won this 'match' and he would be fully prepared for her in the future.

Bringing himself back into his hallway, he leaned against the entrance to his kitchen and just watched her. He wanted to remember everything about her…and the way she made this room seem brighter.

He didn't want to lose that memory…especially when she left to go find her new husband. He knew that she would eventually leave him, but he didn't want those thoughts bouncing around in his head right now.

He couldn't think about this woman…the one he loved…leaving him for another man.

He knew that he didn't have any right to think along those lines, but he always did. He had no right to her anymore…hell, he never did in the first place. He was just her 'partner' and that was the way it was always going to be.

Now, more than ever he wished that he had acted upon his hearts desire, and not listened to Sweets. That dork was the one who messed up his mind. Why did he listen to that 12 year old anyways?

But…he knew that he had lost her…even though he never had her.

She belonged to Brandon now, even though he had been controlling her long before now. That was something that angered him to no end. The way that man had poisoned her mind, and used her past against her.

Booth knew that somehow Brandon knew more about her past than he was letting on. He had manipulated her into giving up everything that she loved, and she didn't even blink an eye at it.

He should have said something, tried to reason with her. But he knew that it wasn't his place, and no one else would have tried to talk to her either. They would have just gone along with whatever she said…not wanting to piss her off.

He remember the past couple months…how she had completely shut him out of her life. Sometimes he wondered if it was her decision or if it was Brandon making those decisions for her.

It was kind of his fault too. He probably shouldn't have listened to her when she decided he needed to take Zack to crime scenes with him, but he did. He couldn't be with her, knowing that she was engaged to someone other than him.

As the date got closer, he started drawing into himself even more than before. He stopped going out with the Squints after closing a case. He stopped going out…like that was a change for him.

He hadn't seen anyone seriously since him and Bones were partnered up. Well, except for Cam, but they both knew what was going in his head and heart…even if he didn't want to admit it at the time.

He loved her.

With all his heart and soul.

He could never change that, and that was okay with him. No other woman would occupy his heart…and he didn't want them to. He would learn to live with the missing part of his heart; it would be easier if and when he did move.

He would be able to get away from everything and everyplace that reminded him of her. And that was basically the entire landscape of D.C.

_She didn't need him anymore. She didn't need him to protect her with his alpha-male tendencies. Brandon could do all of that now._

He was watching her again. He needed to take in every movement she made. He wanted to remember every curve of her body. He **had **to remember everything about her.

She had been fluttering around so much, than when she stopped he thought she might have hurt herself or something. He was prepared to jump to her rescue, should she need it.

He kept watching; needing to make sure she was okay. She slowly started to turn around, and when she faced him he could see her eyes.

_Worried? Scared? Afraid? Why would she be any of those things? What does she think I am going to do to her? Doesn't she trust me, or has he distorted every single memory she has of me? How could…_

Something caught his eyes as he was looking her over for injuries.

_Her hand…where is it? It should be there. _

But it wasn't.

**Brennan's Point of View**

Her hands were bare, twisting together, afraid of the backlash she thought she deserved. Afraid of what he was going to say to her. Unable to take the rejection she knew would be justified with her most recent actions.

But he didn't do anything.

He stood there...unmoving. It looked like he wasn't breathing either. He just stood there, staring at her hands.

Now, in the kitchen lights, she could see how much her impending marriage had affected him. He looked worse now that he was standing, rather than lying down on his couch.

She could see how shrunken in his eyes were, and also how bloodshot they were. She could see how his clothing was hanging on him, where as it used to hug his body before. She was even more shocked today than yesterday, when she saw how long his had let his facial hair grow.

_  
This was all her fault. Her, and her alone caused this. It was her job to fix it, but would he let her?_

Without saying a word, she dropped her hands to her sides and slowly made her way across the kitchen. Stopping when she got within a foot of him she looked up, wanting to judge his reaction to her advancement.

He still hadn't moved. She could hear that he was breathing and a quick look at his chest confirmed that he was, in fact, breathing. Not fast, but he was bringing air oxygen into his lungs.

He looked like she did, she thought. He looked like he wasn't breathing to live, but breathing to survive. He was breathing to keep himself from dying, even though she was fairly sure he was already dead inside.

_Is he going to yell at me? Is he going to walk away?_

She was so afraid that he was going to leave her. What would she do if he did? How would she make it?

Even though she had been abandoned by her parents and her brother, she knew she wouldn't survive if Booth left her. She had barely survived when she thought he was dead, but she wouldn't be able to keep up the act of existing.

She would draw into herself even more. Her walls would be built up higher and more impenetrable than before. She would no longer want or need anyone in her life; friends, family, or significant other.

_She needed him…in the worst possible way. _

_She needed him to live…to endure._

She loved him with all her heart; as much as she possibly could. She would do anything for him; go anywhere for him. She would drop everything for him.

She knew this in her heart and her mind. She knew that this man standing in front of her was the **one **that was specifically made for her. Even though she didn't believe in things like 'soul mates' she knew that he was the one for her.

Even if he didn't want her, didn't love her, didn't need her…she needed him.

She needed him, because he constantly showed her how to be more personable. He taught her things that couldn't be learned in classes or out of books. He knocked down the walls that she had built up.

She needed to tell him that **she needed him**.

Uncaring about the consequences or repercussions she tentatively reached out to touch his face.

_Is he going to slap my hand away?_

_Is he going to tell me to get out of his apartment?_

_Is he going to ignore me?_

These thoughts, as well as others flooded into her mind, but she ignored them all.

When her fingers brushed up against his scruffy chin she almost wept with joy. He hadn't pushed her hand away and he hadn't yelled at her. He had leaned into her hand.

Bringing her other hand up, she placed it on the other side of his face and watched as he closed his eyes. Unsure of what was going to happen she watched him, and was shocked to see tears running out of his closed eyes.

She knew she had hurt him with her actions, and in the beginning of it all she hadn't really cared. Well, she had, but she never stopped to think about anything. She didn't think she needed to.

He was the one who left out of her office when she told him about her upcoming marriage. He was the one who was okay with working with Zack instead of working with her. He was the one who wasn't coming to support her in her decisions.

But, she knew that he did all of that out of love for her. She knew that he had stepped back because she needed to do this on her own. He couldn't be there for her, especially when she was with another man.

She saw now, that his decision had broken him. Having to turn his back on her…ignore her…completely shut her out of his life had broken him worse that it had her.

Stepping up to him, she reached her hands around his head and threaded her fingers together. She pulled his head down to hers, and placed her forehead against hers and stared into his still shut eyes.

He moved his arms before opening his eyes.

She felt his arms coming up around her waist, lightly at first then they tightened around her…pulling her right up against him. He held onto her as he turned his face away from hers.

At first she thought he was going to pull away and leave her standing there like an idiot, but he didn't. He buried his face into her shoulder and held it there. She felt them before she heard them.

She felt the tears seeping through her – well his – shirt onto her shoulder, and felt them as they slid down her chest and her back. She held on tighter as she began to hear the deep breaths he was taking to try to calm him down.

She felt his knees starting to buckle, and knowing she wouldn't be able to support him she slid down the wall, still holding him to her. Settling against the wall with him, she moved her arms from around his head to encircle his back, while he kept his head buried in her shoulder.

_She wouldn't let him go. She couldn't let him go. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed him to live…to survive. She had to have him in her life, or it wouldn't be worth living. _

Without realizing it she had started crying too. She had been so focused on him and his pain, that she had forgotten the pain she felt when she saw him the night before. The pain she felt knowing it was her actions that brought down this man…her alpha-male.

She didn't feel them rolling down her face, until he reached a hand up and wiped them away. His actions made her cry even harder, because even though he was in pain all he thought about was her. Making sure she was okay had always been his main priority.

Before she understood what was happening, he had hooked an arm under her knees and one around her back and lifted her up into his arms. He carried her back into his living room and settled down on the couch with her in his lap.

Crushing her face into his chest she let go of all the pain and heartache she had been keeping in. she released it all, hoping that he would still be there for her when all this was over. She didn't know what to do if he were to leave.


	8. Truth Time

**Here we go with the next chapter…and for some reason I think that there is only going to be maybe two chapters after this one…not including the epilogue. I hope that it is still entertaining for those who are reading it.**

**I just reread the previous seven chapters and found a couple mistakes…they were small, so I am thinking that I am not going to change them. Sorry.**

**As always…I do not own Bones or any of the characters affiliated with the show.**

**I am not making this chapter either one of their point of views…only because I want it to be a chapter with their conversation. So anytime I say 'he' I am meaning Booth and when I say 'she' I mean Bones.**

**Bug on the wall's Point of View**

They sat there on his couch for what seemed like hours, even though it was probably closer to thirty minutes. They didn't talk…they didn't move. He just sat there, holding her in his lap.

When they first came into the living room she was crying uncontrollably, and he was attempting to comfort her. He had sat down and pulled her into his lap, while wrapping his arms securely around her.

He held on as the quiet crying turned into body shaking sobs. He never let go, even when her tears began to dampen his chest. He held tight, as though he was holding on for dear life. It was as if he thought he would lose her.

Slowly, her sobs began quieting down when he started rubbing her back with his hand. It was as if his touch healed her...made her whole again.

After she had been quiet for a couple minutes, he let his hand travel down to where she had her fingers laced in her lap. He reached down and picked up her left hand to examine it, already knowing what he would find…but needing an explanation for it.

She knew what he wanted to know, wanted to ask but also knew that he wouldn't push her. He would let her tell him in her own time…her own way. He knew how her mind worked and also knew, if pushed, she would throw up barriers to protect herself.

But she needed to tell him. She needed to say that she had left Brandon. She didn't want to marry Brandon. Didn't want to have kids with Brandon. Hated not working with him anymore.

She needed to tell him all of these things, but she couldn't. It was out of fear of rejection. What if she told him everything that she was holding inside? What if she told him and he didn't care. If he walked away.

He wanted her to say something…anything. He needed to hear her voice; longed to hear it. Her beautiful voice…the one he hadn't heard in so long.

How could he tell her that he loved her and he didn't want her to marry Brandon? He had to have her in his life to make it worth living. Yes, his son gave him reason to live…but she gave him reason to breathe. Gave him reason to wake up in the morning.

She was the one who showed him it was okay to go on and be happy, even if he had done horrible things in the past. It was what made him the person he was today. Surprisingly, she showed that to him…even though it should have been the other way around.

She was the one who showed him that his sniper past did not define him today. He helped an untold amount of people, saved them, in the past. That molded him into the man he was today.

He was an FBI agent; one of the good guys. He helped those who were unable to save themselves; helped families get answers to unsolvable questions. He was a 'heart' person, while she was a 'head' person.

"I…"

So lost in his thoughts, he jumped when she spoke. Looking down he saw her staring up at him; those big blue eyes watching him. Needing to see what he was going to do…wanting reassurance he wasn't mad.

He smiled, not his mega watt smile he normally gave her, but one to give her the confidence she needed to get the words out.

_He always knew what she needed, even if she didn't._

Taking a breath to steady herself, she began again.

"I ran."

"Oh…"

She shook her head, "Let me finish. Please, I need to do this."

He didn't speak, but nodded his head.

"I ran. I couldn't do it." she looked down at her left ring finger, still being held in his hand. "How did I ever let it get that far? It wasn't supposed to be like that. It was all supposed to be my choice." He tightened his hold on her hand, as if to lend her his strength. "I never wanted to get married. Never believed that one man and one woman should be together forever. How could two people remain devoted to one another over the years? They should become tired of one another, and if that happened where would they be?" she took a breath before continuing. "He wanted kids. He never asked whether I wanted them or not. He just assumed that I would be willing to procreate with him. Never considered my opinion on anything. Never wanted my input; never pushed for it when I didn't give it. This entire wedding…it wasn't planned by me. Even though I do not agree with the tradition at all, it was supposed to be **my** day. When did it turn into only 'his' day?" she looked at him as if she wanted him to answer?

"I…"

"I thought this was what I wanted…what I needed. This is what I had to do to be a normal, regular human being. I thought that in moving forward with this...tradition…I thought that by doing that I would more fully understand a woman's role in society today. But what I found out appalled me. When did women become so dependent on a man? When did it become custom for a man to make dinner decisions for a woman? When did a woman's choice become not her own? Never before had I let a man make decisions for me, but yet here Brandon was making them as if my opinions did not matter. He stopped letting me think for myself, and took it upon himself to make choices that I would not have made." She stopped again.

She looked away from her hand and over to his bookcases. She let her eyes travel down; taking in each picture she could see. When she spotted one particular picture it brought back another thought she had.

"I have never been one to ask for permission to do something, go somewhere. But when I was offered a dig in Ecuador and told Brandon about it…he kind of became angry. It was like I was leaving him, dumping out relationship to get away. He was so threatened by my travel that he made my decision for me before I could think about it. No reason at all, other than the fact that he didn't understand why they needed Me." her tirade tired her out, so she stopped for a minute. When she began again her voice was much quieter. "I want to be able to live. I need to be able to travel. I can't be held down. Why did I let him get control over me? When did I lose myself?"

He barely heard those questions when they came out, but knew they weren't rhetorical. They needed to be answered…she needed to know why he had so much control over her, but he really didn't know what to tell her. All he could do was speak from his heart…just like she spoke from her brain.

"Bones" she wouldn't look at him, so he placed a finger under her chin and pulled it up so she could see his face. "Look at me Bones. You are not a weak person. You are the strongest woman I know. Brandon was threatened by that, and used what little he knew about your past against you. He knew that by drawing you in, making you need him more and more, he would be able to control you. In the beginning he probably liked the fact that you were a strong woman; you knew what you wanted and you went after it. He knew that the relationship probably wouldn't last long, but after convincing you to stay in the lab he knew he had you. No other man had been able to do that…including me. You had never let someone else make that sort of decision for you, and he knew that. The second you agreed, he knew he had you hooked. He started slowly at first, little things. Then when he got you to back out of a dig, he knew you wouldn't say no to him."

"But why? Why did he do that?"

She never really thought that a man would ever be able to do that; have complete control over her. But as she thought back, she realized that he was right. When she agreed to stay in the lab she should have realized it wasn't her safety he was worried about, he wanted to control her.

"He wanted to make you need him. You are a strong person. Strong willed and strong minded. He needed to show himself that he could bend you to his will. He needed to show that you weren't as strong as everyone thought you were." He took a breath and smiled at her again. "You never lost yourself Bones. You just got a little sidetracked. He didn't have you completely. He might have used your feelings for him, twisted them into something they weren't…but you know the one thing he would never have control over?"

She nodded, needing to know what was still hers.

"He would never be able to control your mind." She frowned, thinking that that wasn't the truth. "He might have thought he did, but eventually your mind would take control again and you would be able to see him for what he really was."

He knew that she needed to digest what he had just told her, so he didn't say anymore. He watched her as she stared at her hands, still intertwined with his. When she laid her head back against his chest, he was prepared for her to begin crying again.

"I couldn't do it. Everything was wrong."

"I don't…"

She shook her head, as if she knew what he was going to say. She needed him to be quiet again…to let her speak without interruption.

"Nothing was right. The flowers. The venue. The cake. The dress. The man. The wedding itself." Everything came rushing out, almost at once. She was afraid he didn't understand. "I ran. I had to get away. I could not make another mistake…especially one that I would not be able to take back. One that I could not apologize for. I had to run. Away from him. Away from that hotel. I needed to get far away from him. I had to have control back."

Frightened blue eyes met encouraged brown ones.

"I ran…away from him…and to you."


	9. Whole Again

**Here is one of the last chapters of this story. I really hope that everyone has enjoyed it. I really appreciated all the reviews that I have received it too.**

**As always…I do not own Bones or any of the characters.**

**Booth's Point of View**

"_I ran…away from him…and to you."_

Those words kept running through his mind.

What did she mean when she said that she left Brandon for him? Did it mean that they were no longer together? Did it mean that she was going to end up going back to him?

He needed to say something, anything. He had to tell her how he felt, because if he didn't she might take it as he didn't feel the same as her. But how could she even think that? Did she not know what he had been through since she dropped that bomb on her?

She didn't know that he had drunk himself to sleep every single night. She didn't know that he had been neglecting his time with Parker. She didn't know that he hated going out into the field with Zack…even though he was becoming a better person because of it.

She didn't know how much it hurt him to come into the Jeffersonian. How much he hated to see her sitting in her office, all the while knowing that she was engaged to someone else. He couldn't handle seeing her with that ring on her finger.

It didn't suit her; he knew that much. He had only seen it once, and that had been by mistake. It had been lying on her desk and he saw it when he went in to drop off some forms for her to sign.

It had a big diamond and looked like it was surrounded by a bunch of other diamonds.

He had to admit it was a beautiful ring, but it wasn't right for her. It was too big and too flashy. It was nothing like her. It didn't suit her personality.

Did her fiancé not know what she did for a living? Did he not realize how cumbersome a ring like that would be in her line of work? He obviously didn't realize that it would be lying on her desk the entire time she worked.

"Booth…" he heard his name being whispered by her, and it quickly brought him back to reality.

She was still sitting in his lap, hands twisting together. She was nervously looking up at him and all he could do was smile.

Smile because he **finally** realized she cared for him and because she realized she cared for him too. Smile because…somehow, someway…they would work through all of this and be better because of it.

"Bones…you left him?"

"Yes. When I realized you weren't coming to the wedding I freaked out. Every feeling I had been suppressing in regards to this thing, they all came tumbling in…all at once." She shuddered when she thought back to her dress. "Then all the memories that had been locked away in my mind came into view too. All the times you came to my rescue, all the times we had dinner, everything about you and me. Everything just came at me at once." She looked up at him with her blue eyes shining bright and smiled. "That was when I realized I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life. Bigger than dating Sully. Bigger than dating those two guys at once. I realized I was going to marry a guy I didn't love, and in turn leave behind one that I did."

She stopped, knowing that he needed time to fully understand what she had just unloaded on him. She knew he would catch up, and when he did she wanted to be prepared for anything.

He was silent, needing to let her words sink in. he was quiet for so long he didn't realize she was starting to draw back into herself. He didn't realize she took his silence as rejection.

He felt her pulling away from his chest. He could almost hear the walls going back up. He could hear her mind whirling around what she considered rejection.

"Wait…the one you did? You love someone else and you were going to marry some guy that you didn't love?" she nodded so he continued. "You love someone else? Who is it? Who do you love Bones?"

**Brennan's Point of View**

_He was supposed to be able to read people, but yet he couldn't tell that she was telling him that she loved __**him**__. What sort of special agent was he anyways?_

"You."

She could see that her answer didn't shock him as much as she thought it would. Maybe he was better at his job than she gave him credit for. Maybe he could read people better than she could.

He smiled.

He smiled his big, mega watt, 'I see ice cream' kind of smile.

He leaned down and placed his forehead against hers. Brown eyes stared into blue eyes yet again. And he smiled.

"I love you too."

He kissed her. Not a hard and fast kiss. It was one of those that you always wished for, but probably never got. It was soft and reassuring.

In his kiss, he was telling her that he wasn't going anywhere. He was going to be there for her, especially now.

With all the mess she caused yesterday she was greatly surprised she hadn't received a couple dozen phone calls regarding her whereabouts. She was surprised Angela hadn't come searching for her and even more shocked Brandon hadn't either.

When he had been the main man in her life, he controlled everything that she did and everyone she talked to. He had control over her cell phone and routinely checked it to make sure she wasn't making any 'unnecessary' phone calls.

When he pulled away she felt like something was missing inside. Like the other part of her now whole soul had been ripped away from her. She knew it was illogical to think that, she didn't think that a soul had feelings, but that was how it felt to her.

"You love me too? Why do you love me? How can you love me, especially after everything I have put you through? How can anyone love me?"

He brought his arms back around her back and pulled her to his chest, knowing that she needed this just as much as he did. Rubbing her back, he thought about his answers to her many questions.

"Yes, Bones, I love you too. Why wouldn't I love you? Even though we bicker all the time, that is what makes our partnership work. You make me use something other than my 'gut' and I make you use your 'heart.' I love you because I know that you would do anything for your family and even more for your friends. I saw that when you took the prosecution's case and rip it to shreds in the case against your father. I saw how you reacted when we rescued you from the Gravedigger. You were more worried about Hodgins than your own safety. You want to know how I could love you now. I love you even more now than I did before." She was about to question him, but he continued before she could speak. "You used an untold amount of strength to run away from everything yesterday. You stopped listening to what everyone else had to say, including your own head. You started listening to your heart, and you found your way here. You found your way to me. No matter what I have been through, that helps make the pain start to go away. To know that you have become a stronger person, to know that you are able to distinguish what your heart wants, that heals me. And to know that your heart wants me and that you love me, and you are actually able to admit that and not under some sort of hypnosis or something like that…well baby, that heals me."


	10. Needing More

I think this is going to be one of the last chapters. The next one is almost certainly going to be the last one. Then there is going to be an epilogue after that. Heres hoping everyone is still into this story.  
As always…I do not own the story!!!!!

**Bug on the wall's Point of View**

"Don't call me baby, Booth. I am in no way a baby. I passed that stage of development a long time ago."

He rolled his eyes and smiled, but didn't say anything. It was like he anticipated this reaction from her, and just rolled with it. He knew exactly what she was going to say before she said it, but didn't respond to it.

She smiled when he rolled his eyes and snuggled deeper into his lap. Content to stay there for the rest of the weekend. She knew, however, this wasn't going to be possible. She knew **someone** was going to call them or come by to see what was going on.

She didn't feel the need to explain her actions, and would not explain them to anyone. Her business was not gossip, even though it had been turned into media frenzy once it got out that she was getting married. They latched on to it even more when it was learned she wasn't going to be marrying 'Andy.'

She still never understood why so many people considered Booth to be the inspiration for the character of Andy. Yes, there might be some similarities, but he is not Andy. People just needed to get over it and move on.

Maybe that was the reason for Brandon's insistence that she and Booth not spend any time together outside of work. Maybe he was insecure when it came to her and Booth. Could he have been one of those people who thought that her writings mimicked her life?

"Booth…what am I going to do about Brandon? What am I going to tell Angela and Cam and the rest of them? How am I going to explain my actions to everyone?"

Everything came flying out of her mouth so fast his head was spinning. He knew she could talk fast, but never heard her speak that fast before…ever.

"Bones, stop worrying. It doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks. It is not really any of their business, now is it? No one else has any control over your life, other than you. We, yes we, will deal with Brandon if and when he decides to come around. For some reason I do not think that he is willing to show is face around here anytime soon. As for Angela and the rest of the Squint Squad…I think they will understand. Even if they don't, you know that they won't hold anything against you. They love you too much, and they know that you love them…even if you don't want to admit it sometimes."

"What about Sweets? What are we going to do with him? He is always going on and on about how we are supposed to be together and all that crap…now here we are, basically giving him a leg to stand on. From now on, he is going to bring this up whenever I try to prove that he is wrong. He is going to say that his findings regarding us and our 'relationship' have always been correct, even though we didn't want to admit them at the time. I don't want to have to deal with him and his 'psycho-babble' especially when I do not agree with his chosen profession. Yes, I will admit that he is smart but why did he have to choose to be a psychologist? He could have done much better with a job that actually had some backing. Psychology is based on nothing. You cannot measure what goes on in the mind."

He had been listening to the first part of her tirade about Sweets. She always said the same thing about him and his job. She didn't believe in it, and she never failed to express her opinions about it either. Those around her were used to her dislike of Sweets' job, so they just smiled when she started rambling.

"Our baby duck is going to be just fine. We don't have to explain anything to him. You know that he is just going to sit there and smile and nod. He will try to talk to us about what happened, but all you have to do is ignore him. Just do what you normally do when he is around."

"Why are we still calling him our baby duck? He has never been a duck, Booth."

He smiled saying "he will always be our baby duck. Remember Bones…he kind of imprinted on us. We are the family that he needs; the family he longs for. Just like Jack and Angela and Zack…he is part of our family. Our crazy, mixed up, land of misfit toys sort of family. As much as you don't want to admit it, you love our family."

"Yes. I have to admit, I do love our defacto family. Our crazy family. We have the fanatical artist, the conspiracy theorist, the overly-scientific one, we have the baby duck, and we have the brain, the heart and the mama. We are all set for the crazy convention."

"Aww Bones. Did you just make a joke about our family?"

She laughed, knowing he would probably bring up this conversation sometime in the future. He would use it to remind her that not all families are made by blood, and those that aren't probably have stronger ties than those that are. They don't have to love each other or want to spend time together, they just do.

She seemed lost in her thoughts. Gazing out the window, she absentmindedly played with his fingers. He knew that she was pondering over some things, but as always he had to let her mind sort them out before she would be willing to disclose what was baffling it so.

"Booth…why didn't you tell me it had gotten this bad? Why didn't Cam or Ange tell me? Why did no one tell me that my relationship with Brandon hurt you this much? Did they think I wouldn't care about you or something like that? I am not understanding this at all."

"It wasn't all that bad Bones. There was nothing much to tell."

Oh, now that was the wrong thing to say to this brown haired beauty at that moment. She threw his arms off of her and jumped out of his lap onto the living room rug. Moving to get away from his stretching arms she started pacing in front of the windows.

"Not that bad? I am not stupid Booth. I do have eyes and I can see. I am also a forensic anthropologist, and even though I don't work with live humans I do know a couple things about them. I know that you should be able to see muscles on a man's stomach, all over your body for that matter, especially considering your line of work. I know that a human should be dead after all you had to drink last night. I know that people need to eat to sustain themselves, but by looking through your kitchen you haven't been doing so. I know that you haven't been sleeping. I know that you haven't been outside as much as before."

She stopped speaking and turned to look at him. She loved him so much she couldn't see straight. She had always been afraid of love for that reason alone. She was not making rational decisions, and it was all because of that funny feeling in her stomach.

She depeneded on him for so much, and she hated that. She hated that she needed Booth in her life. She didn't hate him or anything like that; she had always been so independent – until Brandon – and she didn't want things to be like that with Booth.

She looked him in the eyes…needing to feel the warmth from them. She needed to have strength for what she was going to say next. She trusted him more than anyone else in the entire world. She would do anything for him, go anywhere for him.

She turned because she needed to see his face when she hit him with what she knew. She wasn't supposed to know it, but she did. It had happened by accident, her finding out, but it had happened.

"I know that you haven't been spending time with Parker. I know that Rebecca is looking to move to Seattle and that you are planning on going with her. I am not a stupid person, Booth, so please stop treating me like one."


	11. Facing Truths

**Almost my last chapter. I think this is going to be when they figure everything else out…at least, I hope. I am really getting into this story, and I hope the readers are too.**

**As always…I do not own Bones or any of the characters.**

**Booth's Point of View**

_How did she know? No one was supposed to know that I was thinking about leaving. Other than Cullen, Rebecca and myself no one knew. Except…Angela and Hodgins knew too, but they wouldn't tell her._

He was shocked. After everything that had happened between the two of them, this is what she got upset about. She was the one who usually ran away from something like this. Expect for now…she was standing there, ready for battle.

He couldn't do anything but take the picture of her standing there in.

Her hands were clinched into fists, hanging limply at her sides…but he wasn't fooled because he knew what Temperance Brennan was capable of when provoked. Her eyes were no longer a calm, peaceful blue; they were dark blue, being ruled by thunderstorms. Her hair like lightning was flying around.

He couldn't help but love her. Even when she was as angry as she was now, that's what made him love her even more.

It was her willingness to fight for what she wanted…to stand up for herself. In the past she never would have done that, well not for love at least. She had stood up for herself when it really mattered; in front of a gang leader, in front of Jared. She could defend herself.

But here she was, ready to do battle to protect her heart. She was ready to kick him across his apartment if need be. He was so proud of her, in that moment; he couldn't help but smile at her.

"Oh no you don't Booth. Don't you dare smile at me. That isn't going to get you out of this mess you caused. How could you think of leaving to go half way across the country? Why would you do that? Why would you leave me? And I know you weren't going to tell me either."

She stopped speaking and stared at him.

Getting up off his couch, he moved to stand right in front of her…in the danger zone. He had to show her that he was willing to fight for her…he was not going to back down, even when she was in one of her moods.

"How did you find out? No one knew." She cocked her head to the side, so he quickly continued. "I couldn't stay here, not with you marrying him. I had to get out of the city, as far away as possible. I needed to get away. I was so scared that I was going to run into either the two of you together or one of ya'll separately. I couldn't take the chance of running into you, because I wouldn't be able to handle it. Running into Brandon was a whole different story. I knew he knew how I felt about you, and he loved using it to his advantage. I knew that if I ran into him, he would somehow provoke me and I would end up hitting him. I couldn't have him running back home to you, whining that I hit him for no reason. So I decided that the best thing for me to do was to go away. I wasn't doing it to hurt you; I was doing it so that I would be out of your life."

How could he tell her everything he was and had been feeling? He couldn't tell her about all the restless nights and screwed up days he had been having, could he? He would not be the one to mess up her life or make her revert back to her old ways.

He took a breath before continuing. "I never wanted to leave you. I promised you that I would always be there for you, and I was going to keep my promise forever. That was, until you met Brandon. I never realized how serious you two were getting, either because you weren't telling me or I wasn't listening. There was never the right time to tell you how I felt about you. I did not want to be the one to ruin your relationship. And what if you didn't feel the same as I did? What if you had no feelings for me what-so-ever? Where would we be then? I wanted to tell you, but the longer it went on with Brandon, the more I knew I couldn't tell you. I would not be the one to ruin your one chance at happiness."

**Brennan's Point of View**

How could she tell him that the only reason he was with Brandon was because he never gave her any indication that he harbored feelings for her. The entire time they worked together he never made any advances towards her. Never gave her any clues as to his true feelings.

But, what's saying that he didn't give her clues? She might have been too closed off to notice them. For all the science she knew, she knew nothing about love and feelings. She had shut herself off from those feelings a long time ago.

Booth was the one who opened her up. He was the one who took her walls down, brick by brick. He was the one who got her to buy a TV. Booth got her to hang out with his son, even though she always said she didn't like kids.

He always promised her that he wouldn't leave her, and he had kept it. He hadn't left her, even though he had been offered numerous promotions. Those promotions always came with a pay raise, bigger office, more prestige…but along with all that came the task of moving to a new city.

In everything he did for her, wasn't that telling her that he wanted more? He understood her better than she understood herself. He knew what she needed before she even asked for it. He was the one who was always there for her…protected her.

Basically, she never noticed how much she needed him in her life…until now. She finally realized that if he moved, a piece of her would be leaving with him. How could they be that closely bound, especially when she was supposed to be marrying Brandon?

Could it be that even though she and Brandon were together they weren't 'soul mates?' They were just together for the moment, but they weren't supposed to be together forever?

"So…in not telling me that you were thinking of leaving the city and moving across the country, you were merely protecting me?" he nodded his head, so she continued. "You were protecting me from you…because you loved me that much. You loved me that much, more than Brandon. You were willing to leave to protect me from your love. Without telling me that you loved me, that you cared for me that much, you were just willing to up and leave."

He reached out, placing his hands on her shoulders. Bringing her into his chest, he wrapped his arms around her back. Leaning down, letting his lips brush her ears he whispered…

"No Bones. You don't understand what I am saying. I said that I loved you so much I couldn't bear hurting you. I knew that if I ended up hitting Brandon I would be hurting you. I didn't want to take that chance. I knew that if I were able to leave without you finding out, that maybe I could spare you the hurt of having to say goodbye. It was hurting me so much, seeing you two together…I had to make a change. I was hurting so bad, every day and every night. I just needed the chance to heal…from everything."

Nodding her head she understood everything he had just told her. He wasn't leaving her to hurt her, but rather spare himself and herself the pain of running into one another. He knew how she would have felt if he ended up hitting Brandon; she would have blamed Booth without asking any questions.

She knew he hadn't made this decision lightly either. He knew what would have happened if she were to find out before he was able to move. He knew how she would take it; like she was being abandoned again. He was just waiting for this 'wedding' to be over with, then he could move on just like she was.

Except she wasn't. She wasn't leaving him. She wasn't getting married. She wasn't going to let him move. Not without her.

"Are you still going to move?"

She felt him take a deep breath before answering her question. "That is a tough question Bones. I don't want to move, but if Rebecca decides to move, then I really don't have any other choice. If I don't move then I won't get to see Parker, and if I do move then I won't get to see you. How am I supposed to choose between you and him?"

"You don't." a bewildered look crossed his face. "You don't choose between us. He is your son. Your offspring. You can't choose me over him. It would be like abandoning him, and I will not let you do that. I won't let you do to him what my parents did to me. If she decides that moving is going to be the best decision for her, then you will move with them."

"But…"

"Let me finish Booth. If, and that's a big if, if she decides to move then you move with them. You will not be leaving me because I will not let you leave me."

Slanting his eyes at her, he said "what do you mean you will not let me leave you? Bones…what do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said Booth. If you are to leave DC to move to Seattle then I will go with you. Maybe not at first, it might take a couple months if not a year, but I will join you, and Parker and Rebecca in Washington."

He stood there, quietly taking in her pronouncement. The fact that she was willing to leave her job to be with him astounded him. She was willing to leave the city, where her friends were just to be with him.

She had never before taken the chance that she was taking with him. She knew that they had something different, something deeper than she had ever had with another male. They were drawn together; like two half's of a whole. They completed each other. They were made specifically for one another.

What would she do if he turned down her idea? Would she stay here in DC? Probably not. If he wasn't here for her, or even there for her then she would leave the city. More than that, she would probably leave the country. There was always a dig that she could join.

"No Bones. Do not even think it. You are not going to run from this. I am not going to chase you half way around the world…even though I would do it, and you know I would too. I am not up for the chase at this moment in time."

She smiled. "How do you know what I am thinking Booth?"

"Because I know you Bones. You think that because I am standing here and not giving you an answer to your offer that I am rejecting you." Pulling her back just far enough to look into her eyes; he said "I am not going to let you get away from me again. I lost you one time, and it damn near killed me. I am not going to lose you to some dig halfway around the globe. We will figure everything out when Rebecca gets back."


	12. Defacto Family

**This is going to be the last chapter, other than the epilogue. I hope that by the time I put this chapter up the rest is going to go up right along with it.**

**As always, I do not own Bones or any characters. So sad.**

**Booth's Point of View**

Booth had gotten hungry, and she wasn't that surprised. What with all that crap he had drunk the night before, she wasn't surprised at all. But when a Booth boy gets hungry they must be taken care of right away.

That is what led them to the decision of going out to eat to the Diner. He was hungry, and they had what he was craving. It was fine though, because she could always get something to eat there too.

They were in for a big shock though.

When they walked into the diner they were surprised to see their friends sitting in the back. It looked like they had taken three tables and pushed them all together to make one big one.

Angela and Hodgins. Cam and her boyfriend. Sweets and Daisy. Zack and an unknown girl.

They were all there, and none of them looked upset. Rather, they all looked happy…except for Sweets. He just looked smug. Like he knew that this would be the outcome all along. He always said, or didn't say, that they belonged together.

Making their way over to the table, he felt her grab his hand. It wasn't to show anyone that they were together. He knew she did if for support; she was scared, even if she didn't want to admit it, she was scared of what they would say to her.

Angela spotted them first. "Sweetie…how are you doing? I tried calling you yesterday, but figured out that you left your phone in the hotel room. Are you okay? I was so worried about you."

She jumped up when we got to the table and grabbed Bones into a big hug. After finally letting go of her, she turned to me. I was afraid of what I was about to receive, but was greatly surprised at what happened next.

Pulling me into a soft hug, she whispered into my ear "are you okay now?"

"Yes." Pulling out of the hug, Booth grabbed Bones' hand again. "I am fine now. I know that everyone has been worried about me, and I am sorry for that. You all know about the 'rough' patch that I have been going through, but it looks like I have made it through it. Hopefully everything is going to be okay from now on."

"What do you mean 'hopefully?' What do you think is going to happened?" Bones was starting in on him again. "Do you think someone is going to come in and do something? You better not have some woman waiting on the sidelines waiting to come galloping in"

Everyone laughed at her comments. They had all known her long enough to know that she didn't say things like that. She was the 'brain' all the way.

"So" Sweets just had to jump in "does this mean that you, Dr. Brennan, and Agent Booth are now together? Does this mean that I was right all along? You two were supposed to be together from the beginning, but you just had to take some side trips to find one another."

"Sweets. Quiet. It is none of your business if Bones and I are together or not."

Looking towards her though, he could see the blush creeping up the back of her neck. He knew that she didn't want people talking about them, especially so soon after what happened with Brandon. And if they talked about that, then they would talk about what had gone on with Booth too.

Moving to take a seat at the table he pushed Bones down so she could be in between him and Angela. He loved the woman, but there was only so much teasing he could take before he wanted to tell her to hush.

"Angela…what happened yesterday after I left?" Booth saw everyone exchange smirks, but knew that Bones missed the. "Was he rather upset that I left him there?"

"Well, Dr B…lets just put it this way" Hodgins said with laughter in his voice "you won't need to worry about 'Dr Brandon Hayden' coming around anymore."

The entire group busted out laughing, which made the look of worry deepen on her face.

"Explain Squints."

"Well, after finding Bren's room empty Cam and I knew exactly where she went. Now it was up to me to tell Brandon that she had left him for you, Booth. I didn't know how to tell him so I went and found Hodgins and made him go with me." Angela looked at Hodgins, begging him to continue.

"So I went with Ange to tell him that Dr B had left, and was greatly surprised when we found him in his room with one of the wedding coordinators." Bones' eyes about popped out of her head at that revelation. "Well, it took all of my strength to keep Ange from going in there and beating the crap out of him. When we told him that you had left him, Dr B, he started throwing things around the room and yelling at the same time."

Bones looked kind of worried, so Booth took her hand into his again. When he lightly squeezed it she looked up at him and he smiled at her. He needed to show her that no matter what that idiot had done, they were going to get through it.

"Come to find out, Sweetie, he wasn't nearly as 'well off' as you thought. Yes, he paid for everything, but with credit cards. He thought that once you two got hitched that he could pay them off with your money."

That did him in. He got up from the table and started pacing. After a couple laps in front of the table an arm reached out and grabbed his hand. Lacing their fingers together he held on tight, but felt like he couldn't sit down…he had too much anger in him at that moment.

"What the hell? How did no one catch this sooner? She nearly married some guy who was only after her for her money?" Booth looked down and saw the hurt expression cross her face. "Bones, I do not doubt that you cared for him and him for you, but ii bothers me that no one saw this sooner."

Zack, who had been quiet until now, threw in his two cents. "No need to worry about Dr. Hayden any more Agent Booth. Hodgins and I took care of him."

Booth shot a glance his way, cutting off anything else that was going to come out of his mouth. Really, he shouldn't be surprised though. The squints would do anything to protect one of their own, especially for Bones.

He looked to Hodgins to finish what Zack would not; either out of fear of Booth or fear of Bones.

Hodgins looked around the table, exchanging a quick look with just about everyone. That told him that even if no one else participated in their little adventure in payback they all knew about it.

"Zack and I needed to show Dr Hayden, if that was his real name, we needed to show him that you do not mess with Dr B. So, thinking back to a day when he came into the lab we remembered, well Zack remembered, that he had a disdain for anything with four legs or more."

Booth thought he knew where this was going, and started laughing.

"You guessed it. I had Zack go down to my car…yes there were specimens in my car, I get bored sometimes and collect them from wherever I am at the moment. Anyways…we had what we needed, all we had to do was find his car."

"Remind me to never ride in your car again." Angela piped up, all the while shuddering.

Hodgins nodded. "We found his car and unceremoniously dumped the contents of our containers into it."

**Brennan's Point of View**

Bones couldn't believe that they had done something like this for her. She knew that Booth would stand up for her, but he would punch someone. She never had anyone in her life, before now, that would jump to her defense. Even if it was just pouring bugs into his car, what they had done showed her the true depths of their feelings towards her.

She knew that there were people in this world that enjoyed her books and her lectures. She knew that there were people who sought her out just because she had money. Some wanted her because she was the best at her job.

But what she learned at that moment, sitting in that diner surrounded by her friends astounded her.

She never thought that her coworkers would turn out to be the family she never had. They had jumped to defend her honor, even if it was with a bunch of bugs. They had been there for her like no one else had before.

They were there, not because they expected something out of it or because they expected something from her. They were there, doing what they did, because they cared about her.

Booth must have heard her mind whirling about with all these new revelations, because he quickly changed the subject. She would never be able to understand how he knew so much about her; how he was able to read her so well, but she was glad he did.

"So what does everyone want to eat?"


	13. Epilogue

**Here we go. I hope everyone has enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. If you find any mistakes in this chapter or any of the previous ones, by all means let me know. I don't want to leave a mistake in this story.**

**As I always say…I do not own Bones or any of the characters.**

**Two years later, Angela's Point of View**

Nobody had heard anything from Brandon Hayden since Hodgins and Zack filled his car with bugs. Other than hearing him scream at the sight of them in his car, he had just about dropped off the face of the earth.

That was a good thing too, because if he even dared to show up today he would probably get shot. Not by the untold number of FBI agents that were currently filling into the near full pews either. Or by the security personal that had been hired by Hodgins.

Nope…if he decided to show up today he would more than likely get shot by their own resident sniper.

They had been through so much in the past two years.

Rebecca decided to move, then after living in Seattle for less than two months decided she didn't like living there so she moved back. Booth had gone with her, but not before promising Brennan that he would have his cell phone will him at all times, call every single night and come home to visit at least once a month…if not more.

Brandon Hayden tried to sue Hodgins and Zack for damages done to the interior of his vehicle. He became enraged when the judge threw out his lawsuit, claiming that he didn't have enough evidence that they were the ones who committed the crime. The next week the same judge was seen eating dinner with the Squint Squad at a local Italian restaurant.

Brandon Hayden also tried, unsuccessfully, to sue Brennan. He claimed that she was responsible for at least half of the costs in regards to their non-wedding. The judge presiding over the case said that she was not responsible since he paid with his own credit cards. Brennan however decided that she would in fact pay for some things, but not to him. She went to the vendors themselves and paid them; wanting to make sure they got the money.

Booth and Brennan went through a rough patch when they first got together. Some people in the media thought that she was in the wrong leaving Brandon at the altar. They even tried to play him as the victim, when everyone who was even remotely involved with them knew he was in no way the victim. They also tried to portray Booth as a money-hungry man, looking to cash in on his partners heartache.

Eventually they settled into their relationship, and they were surprised yet again when a little more than a year of dating they found out that Brennan was pregnant. Unfortunately she was involved in a car accident while driving to work one day and lost the baby. Many thought that she might not be able to recover from that lose, but not Booth. He was there, by her side no matter what she said to him. It took a while, but she finally came around and realized that even though she lost his baby, he still loved her.

Then one day Brennan walked into the lab and up onto the forensic platform. Looking around to make sure her friends were there, she proceeded to tell them that in two months time they were expected to attend a wedding. No excuses were going to be accepted. They would in fact receive their invites in the mail the next day too.

Mr. Seeley Booth

&

Dr. Temperance Brennan

Request that you attend

The joining of their partnership

-In more than words-

On May 24th, 2013

At 6:30 p.m.

Location of wedding and reception

Will be given day before wedding…

Via text message

(Only those who RSVP will have this information)

They were still very untrusting when it came to the media, and neither one of them would be surprised if more than one media outlet decided to crash their wedding. As much as she hated the idea of letting anyone in that line of work attend, she did have some friends who were journalists. They were told, however, if any news of their upcoming nuptials made it into the paper they would find themselves slapped with a lawsuit.

So here they were, again getting Brennan ready for a wedding. Except this wedding she wanted to be a part of. This time she had full say over everything. Including the man she was going to kissing at the end of the night.

-Flowers – daffodils and daisies

-Cake – five tier, square cake with small daisies on the icing

-Food – something vegetarian, the rest was decided by Booth

-Dress – simple and elegant, no train

-Location – undisclosed church of Booth's choosing, she did that for him

-Honeymoon – they decided to go to Ecuador, the dig she had been asked to help with had been postponed after she turned them down the first time

Angela shared a smile with Cam and Daisy as they helped Brennan get into her wedding dress. They were all remembering back to the wedding that never happened, and all the chaos and drama that ensued. The three of them had been counting their blessings when they got their invites.

They all knew how much he had helped her grow throughout their partnership. He had helped her become more in touch with pop culture and also helped her understand that not everyone understood her sarcasm. He got her to use her gut and to make intuitive leaps while discussing cases too. That had been a big shock.

What they were shocked to see, however, was the calming affect she had on him. No one ever realized how Booth got stressed, and how much he pushed himself to close each case swiftly. Yes, they knew he was dedicated and intense, but none realized that he sometimes went past 'Brennan' intensity.

She helped him get through the rough time after they first got together, and he helped her understand that he wasn't going to leave her. She knew that in her head, but sometimes her heart needed to be reminded of his love, and he did it in the sweetest of ways too.

_Brennan had been having a bad time after Booth left with Rebecca and moved to Seattle. He had been gone for about a month and her nerves were already stretched to the extreme when it happened._

_Someone passing through the lab on their way to another part of the Jeffersonian happened to bump into Hodgins and he ended up dropping a sample they were trying identify. She flew off the platform where she was examining the bones and gave that someone a severe tongue lashing. Many said they would have been surprised if Booth didn't hear it all the way in Washington._

_Not an hour later delivery men began to arrive, and by the time they were done Brennan's office, Angela's office and the upstairs seating area were completely covered with vases filled with daisies and daffodils. _

No one knew how he found out about her outburst, but each and every person that worked in the Jeffersonian blessed him when those flowers came. Immediately her attitude shifted. She went from livid and irate - with anyone who dared to breathe near her – to being her normal, only yelling when needing to get an intern to hurry up self.

As the time grew near for the priest to ask if there was anyone who objected to this marriage, the entire wedding party turned and looked out into the crowd. They were surprised to see almost all of the FBI agents on Booth's side do exactly the same thing. Obviously they were in the same boat as those at the Jeffersonian when it came to Booth and Bren's relationship.

Hours later, after all the eating had ended and the band was packing up the last of their equipment did Angela sit down and really think about what happened that night.

The family they had all needed had somehow been formed, and nothing was ever going to tear them apart. They had chosen to care and love each other and that's what made them more tightly bound than any other family they had run across. It was a family made by them; not a family they were put into.

Their little family, the one that they had built together was now stronger than ever. They had the artist, the millionaire, the FBI agent, two scientists, the coroner, an intern and the baby-duck/psychologist. Not to mention the significant others of those mentioned.

They had each other, and that was really all that mattered to each and every one of them.


End file.
